Devotional.
Angelology
Date 01.05.22
How do you identify with this statement?
“I am convinced that heavenly beings exist and they provide unseen aid on our behalf”
Do you believe in Angels? Do you ever think about them? Have you tested your thoughts against what the Bible has to say about Angels?
Max Lucado describes the study of angels as a “biblical whale watching”. “Angels surface just long enough to grant a glimpse and raise a question, but then disappear before we have a full view”
The writer of Hebrews tells us that Angels are spirits. (01:14) “What are angels then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by Him to help those who are to receive salvation”
Paul in Colossians 01:16 states, “For through Him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers and authorities. (GNB)”
Angels are messengers of God – references throughout the Old and New Testament
Most of us probably characterize angels as messengers and the word “angel” or its derivative occurs in the Bible almost three hundred times. (James Merritt – 52 weeks through the Bible). Our most famous picture of angels in the Bible is probably in Luke 2 in the Christmas story, where a whole choir of angels announced the birth of Jesus. ”Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth among those with whom He is pleased” (Lk 02:14)
So what does the Bible tell us about angels?
Angels Worship for God’s Glory – Job 38:04-07 In this passage when God and Job talked, God informed Job that when He created the heavens and the earth, the angels were singing and shouting for joy. Angels work for God’s pleasure – Psalm 103:20-21 “Praise the Lord you strong and mighty angels, who obey His commands, who listen to what He says. Praise the Lord, all you heavenly powers, you servants of His, who do His will” (GNB) Angels War for God’s Victory – Matthew 26:53 When Jesus was being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter drew his sword and struck at the High Priest’s slave, Jesus said, “Don’t you know that I could call on my Father for help and at once He would send me more than twelve armies of angels’ (GNB) These are just some of the functions which angels perform. The Bible also tells us that angels take on different forms and duties, but probably the angel we have heard mostly about or identify with the most, consciously or unconsciously, is the “Guardian angel” In the Book of Daniel we have at least two references to this truth about guardian angels. When Daniel and his three friends are thrown into the fiery furnace (Dan 03:28) The king said “Praise the god of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego . He sent His angel and rescued these men who serve and trust Him” and in 06:22 when Daniel is thrown into the Lion enclosure we read “God sent His angel to shut the mouths of lions so that they would not hurt him” But the truth of Guardian angels is not just confined to the Old Testament. In the New Testament Jesus Himself makes reference to them (Mat 18:10) “See that you don’t despise any of these little ones. Their angels in heaven, I tell you, are always in the presence of My father in heaven” Perhaps you have experienced God’s supernatural protection and would like to share it with us? To summarize; what we know about angels are that they are created by God, They have different orders. Some have names. They are immortal and they have different functions. They worship God. They take an interest in the salvation of souls. They are subject to Christ but they do have their limitations. (Matthew 24:36) “No one knows, however, when the day and hour will come – neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, the Father alone knows” Angels make many appearances in the Bible and it makes for a very interesting Bible study.
Angels Worship for God’s Glory – Job 38:04-07 In this passage when God and Job talked, God informed Job that when He created the heavens and the earth, the angels were singing and shouting for joy. Angels work for God’s pleasure – Psalm 103:20-21 “Praise the Lord you strong and mighty angels, who obey His commands, who listen to what He says. Praise the Lord, all you heavenly powers, you servants of His, who do His will” (GNB) Angels War for God’s Victory – Matthew 26:53 When Jesus was being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter drew his sword and struck at the High Priest’s slave, Jesus said, “Don’t you know that I could call on my Father for help and at once He would send me more than twelve armies of angels’ (GNB) These are just some of the functions which angels perform. The Bible also tells us that angels take on different forms and duties, but probably the angel we have heard mostly about or identify with the most, consciously or unconsciously, is the “Guardian angel” In the Book of Daniel we have at least two references to this truth about guardian angels. When Daniel and his three friends are thrown into the fiery furnace (Dan 03:28) The king said “Praise the god of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego . He sent His angel and rescued these men who serve and trust Him” and in 06:22 when Daniel is thrown into the Lion enclosure we read “God sent His angel to shut the mouths of lions so that they would not hurt him” But the truth of Guardian angels is not just confined to the Old Testament. In the New Testament Jesus Himself makes reference to them (Mat 18:10) “See that you don’t despise any of these little ones. Their angels in heaven, I tell you, are always in the presence of My father in heaven” Perhaps you have experienced God’s supernatural protection and would like to share it with us? To summarize; what we know about angels are that they are created by God, They have different orders. Some have names. They are immortal and they have different functions. They worship God. They take an interest in the salvation of souls. They are subject to Christ but they do have their limitations. (Matthew 24:36) “No one knows, however, when the day and hour will come – neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, the Father alone knows” Angels make many appearances in the Bible and it makes for a very interesting Bible study.
